Would mandatory paternity leave equal to the maternity leave mandates not solve this inequity?

I’m fairly sure this is already done; anything else would be illegal gender discrimination. But women tend to take the leave more often and for a longer duration.

The question for me is not whether maternity leave costs or whether it raises the costs of employing females. It does (although I am sure that the actual cost is debatable).. Instead, the question is whether we want to burden businesses with the costs.

Would doubling down on the error make it better? Or perhaps, let individuals negotiate the details their benefit package with their employers.

Example: I get 2 weeks / year of paid sick leave. For the last 20 years, I’ve used ~1 day / year. Unused sick leave is cut in 1/2 at the end of the year. That remaining half is banked for future years. If I don’t use it before I quit / retire, they cut that unused balance in 1/2, then pay me a capped rate (far below my current pay scale) for what is unused. I’m in a 1 size fits some union contract. If, instead, we had a cafeteria bene plan, I’d select far more vacation or increase my 401k. Same goes for the company life insurance – I’m single with no kids. I don’t need life insurance. Adding insult, I have to pay income tax on what they spend on me, for a useless benefit.

Can you cite any data that shows that fertility has increased among educated women since the FMLA was enacted?